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Border War Ramblings
Border War on HD - Day 1 - Vancouver BC - Bellingham WA
Border War on HD, in memory of Nita Giles, formally began this morning, May 21 at 7:45 am from the University of British Columbia Pacific Spirit Regional Park!
Joy (Erin's mother) drove Charlotte and Amanda in the Grand Prix, and I drove with Erin (and the bikes, and most of the luggage). UBC is out on a peninsula, which is directly across Burrard Inlet from the Simmons' home in West Van.
We rode 20 miles before crossing a river on Pattullo Bridge. Had to ride up a huge hill to get onto the bridge; felt like San Francisco! Fairly easy riding, overall, on surface streets. It was great having Erin SAGging along with us. She did an excellent job, waiting at key intersections, finding bathrooms and water.
We headed southeast on the Fraser Hwy, with quite a few moderate hills. Erin pointed out the snowcapped Mt. Baker in the distance; it's a great ski/snowboard resort (according to our resident expert)!
At 30 miles, we passed Hwy 15, which goes south to the border crossing at Blaine. We ate our peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches soon after that, then forged ahead towards the border crossing at Aldergrove. Border War became international at 2:45 pm, when we cleared customs and returned to the USA.
The highlight of our day was seeing the restored home of Charlotte's grandfather in Lynden, WA, a lovely Dutch community somewhat similar to Solvang in CA. A young Christian couple, the Weinerts, and their four children live there now. Charlotte really enjoyed sharing with the Weinerts; they served us apple juice and Rice Crispies squares, as we rested our weary bodies.
We arrived in North Bellingham about 6 pm, where Sue, the church secretary of Redeemed Lutheran Church, was waiting for us. After hugs with Erin (and a few tears on my part), we bid fond adieu to her, as she started the drive back to Van.
Sue took us to her brother's drive-in in Bellingham where we were treated to anything on the menu. Then she took us to her home, which has an awesome view of Mt. Baker! Contact was made with Annette Williams and her son Shane, who will be SAGging with us for the next four days.
We're all tired (none has ridden her bike 65.5 miles since last year - actually, Amanda has never ridden that far until today). Weather was wondeful, and spirits are high (although the flesh - especially the b___) is weak.
The coffers of "Road Change for HD" were increased by almost $2 Canadian, including a "loonie" ($1 coin)
With love from the road,
Your Road Warriors for HD
Amanda Adams
Marie Nemec
Go To Top
Tuesday
Day 2 - Border War on HD
Annette Williams and her son Shane met us at Redeemer Lutheran Church. After the usual "photo ops," we were quite a site, with Sue leading us through the streets of Bremerton, followed by Annette & her truck (which now proudly is displaying the "Bike For The Cure" magnetic door signs from last year's ride), Marie, Shane, Charlotte, and Amanda! We are so pleased that Shane is riding with us; he's the second Phd who has ever ridden in a Bike For The Cure event (first was Ardie Newbold in Frederick MD in 1999).
Sue led us through Bellingham before she had to go to work. Once we left Bellingham, it was "up into the hills and the woods," around Lake Samish, with crossings over the I-5.
Shane rode the first 25 miles with us, and did well once we got more air into the mountain bike tires, and raised his seat and handlebars.
At about 30 miles we descended from the hills, in Skagit Co., through beautiful, pastoral, verdant farmlands, along a road that had the best shoulders for riding that I've ever used.
In Stanwood, Charlotte met up with her relatives Paul and Marian, with whom she was to have dinner and spend the night. We loaded her bike onto Annette's truck, and Amanda and I rode another 18.5 miles, on an ambling road with dairy farms. One said "Standeland, est. 1882!" It also had a yellow diamond shaped sign that said "Norwegian Crossing."
We finally arrived at the home of Gerri and Charlie Herbst, 68.5 miles today. Gerri made a lovely colorful welcome sign that was attached above the garage door. It was so special for Gerri and Annette to finally meet face to face! They're good friends from the Hunt-Dis list.
We got a "royal tour" of the house with Charlie, Gerri's husband, who's a Phd. We saw lovely antiques and photos of Charlie's ancestors. Gerri and Charlie have a lovely home, immaculately landscaped, and filled with love. Julie Sando from the Hunt-Dis also joined us. She brought a lovely flower arrangement, a key lime pie, and a chocolate cream pie. What a sweetie, eh?
Gerri served a lovely picnic-type dinner (ham, potato salad, beans) and food and conversation were bountiful. Much care and love for the many families afflicted by HD was expressed.
Second day under our belts - 68.5 miles, 133.5 total.
Road Change for HD report: 50 cents Canadian, 78 cents American. Just a reminder - keep saving any coins you find. Bring them to Convention if you're coming; mail a check (or the actual change you find) to Pat Pillis, 3 Covey Lane, Saranac Lake NY 12983 by about July 1. I'll post a final count in July.
Your Road Warriors for HD,
Marie Nemec
Amanda Adams
Shane Williams
Go To Top
FW: Day 3 - Border War on HD - Marysville - Bremerton WA
"Here we go round the mulberry bush, mulberry bush, mulberry bush, so early in the morning (and so late at night!)"
Today was not our best day for directions. We did start in Marysville WA and end in Bremerton WA. though this is the only part of the day that went according to plan.
After tearful good-bye and hugs with Charlie and Geri Herbst in Marysville, we took to the road and headed south to catch the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry that would take us across Puget Sound. Shane rode with us again today, and racked up some serious miles for someone who hadn't trained too much.
Our first goof of the day was getting off the highway one exit too soon. This was only 5 miles into the ride! After meeting and getting directions from 2 utility workers and 2 bicyclists (one local on a recumbent, and the other a visitor on a Bike Friday), we found our way to the correct road.
In Everett, we spotted a man walking in front of a SAG van. He was doing an 8000 some mile "Walk of Life," to raise awareness for the plight of the world's children. He had started walking in Scottsdale AZ 6 months ago, and was headed to Vancouver, then across Canada.
Our "new" directions took us through a string of small towns in the outlying Seattle area. The traffic was horrible and it was very slow going. We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch that Annette and Shane had laid out on a blanket in front of a supermarket in Lynnwood, and then headed for the ferry.
The ferry ride on the 'Puyallup' (pronounced "Pew-AWL-up" was wonderful. The bikes were considered pedestrian traffic (cost $4.40 per person) and were the first to be loaded and unloaded from the ferry. The ride was a quick 20 minutes of crisp, cool air and calm waters.
The remainder of the trip was very hilly, unfortunately mostly uphill. After getting lost AGAIN, a very nice fire inspector gave us wonderful directions (that we still managed to goof up) that would eventually take us to our destination, Memorial Lutheran Church in Bremerton, WA. Church secretary Beth and her husband David, and David's mother Ilene met us at the church.
Amanda, Marie, and Charlotte stayed with Ilene Schureman and Annette and Shane stayed with Lois (don't know her last name) and were treated royally.
Our entire day lasted about 11 hours and covered 53 miles. We were very excited when it was over. We praying that we got all of our "wrong-way-itis" out of our systems that day.
Today's mileage - 53
Cumulative mileage - 187
Road Change report - 91 cents
With love from the road,
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
Annette
Shane
Go To Top
Day 4 - Bike For The Cure
Today's ride from Bremerton to Olympia WA was a day of contrasts.
When we left Memorial Lutheran Church, it was kind of cold, and overcast. Lois, who hosted Annette and Shane, led us from the church to Gorst. We passed by the Naval Shipyard; we stopped to take photos of the aircraft carriers docked there. I reminisced that my father used to talk about Bremerton.
The long uphill grade out of Gorst was the first of many. It seemed to be an area with logging, and the road had been recently paved, which was nice, but the small chunks of asphalt which kept clinging to our tires, and causing noise as they passed under the bike fenders ... that was annoying.In Belfair the weather had become chilly enough to warrant a polypropylene shirt and my tights. We rode warmer for a while, but then the cloud cover began to dissipate, necessitating taking off what we had put on.
Passed through Allyn, where I saw a mobile home with four gazing balls (how about that, Dona?).
Lunch at a great park (Kneeland Park) in Shelton, where there was lots of train activity. We would have enjoyed looking around at the shops, but we had to press on.
Soon we got on the 101 Hwy, the same 101 that go south to Oregon and California. Lots of truck traffic. A semi carrying lumber had an accident about 7 miles North of Olympia, backing up rush hour traffic for miles in both directions. We bicyclists got through before the motor vehicles.
Soon thereafter, I spotted a fireman's Motorola cell phone lying on the shoulder, so I stopped to pick it up. Just then Annette pulled up, so I gave the phone to her to be returned somehow to the right governmental entity in Olympia.
Bicyclists are required to exit the 101 at a certain exit, so we did. Annette and Shane were waiting for us.
Annette's stepdaughter and her husband are hosting us tonight in Olympia. Big house, with lots of room.
All three of us riders are pretty tired. Pray for strength and perseverance. One more day's ride before our rest day in Longview WA on Saturday! Sleeping in and getting caught up will be great!
With love from the road,
Marie
Amanda
Charlotte
Annette and Shane
Road Change Report - 29 cents
Go To Top
Day 5 - Border War on HD - Olympia WA - Longview WA
"The Longest Day" - my worse educated guess on the length of the ride.
We left Olympia, with good maps and directions. First rest stop was Millersylvania State Park. It had been a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Project. In the time span from 1933-1942, projects were assigned and supervised by the Forest Service in their respective areas. The Army supplied clothing, food, medical care and shelter. Reforestation, trails, roads, bridges, dams, parks, shelters, buildings, fire control - all were projects of the CCC and many are enjoyed by the public today.
We passed through Centralia and Chehalis, making good time. Lovely communities.
Lunch stop was at Matilda Jackson State Park. Great shelter from the sun, and yummy food provided by our great SAGgers Annette and Shane.
Mt. St Helens became visible to the East, as we rode through the rolling hills and farm country. Very imposing!
Toledo was a quaint town, with a great realistic mural of a movie theatre and a taxicab, plus the shadow of a person in the ticket window.
Had to stop along a very quaint road, for a photo op, because we were on "Mandy Rd.!" Mandy Rd. passed under the I-5, the major transportation spine that runs border to border.
The Adventure Cycling maps were very detailed and helpful. It worked so well to have Annette and Shane at each turn, guiding us along.
Annette made contact with Tom and Glenda Gillihan, our Longview hosts. They drove out in their Honda Odyssey van, meeting us on the last hilly stretch of the day, along Hwy 411, paralleling the Cowlitz River. I hadn't seen Tom and Glenda for almost two years, since the HDSA Convention in Arlington VA in 1999.
By then, we had ridden about 70 miles, and still had a ways to go. The scenery along the Cowlitz River was beautiful, but we were getting tired! But, we were buoyed up when we reached Lexington, and then Longview, where the terrain was FLAT. Tom and Glenda led us through town, then along Ocean View Bl. to their home!
Cyclometer read 8 hrs. 17 min, and we had traveled 82.8 miles, a new P.R. for Amanda. You go girl!
Glenda had prepared a great Chicken Tetrazini meal, which was greatly appreciated by the weary road warriors.
Tomorrow is a rest day, to get caught up on laundry, do errands, and get our bikes checked. A spaghetti dinner fundraiser has been planned for tomorrow.
At Tom and Glenda's home, we got our first glimpse at the finished Border War on HD T-shirts. They're awesome! I encourage everyone to order one. The ordering information is on the Border War purple brochure, or E-mail me if you need more information.
Daily Road Change Report - 33 cents
Total Road Change Report from Vancouver BC to Longview WA - $2.05 Canadian and $2.86 American.
Keep saving change, and bring it to Convention!
Total mileage so far - 328 miles in 5 days.
More to come on the Day 6 Daily Message.
With love from the road,
Marie
Amanda
Charlotte
Annette
Shane
Go To Top
Day 6 - Border War on HD - Rest Day in Longview WA
Sleeping in this morning was a great treat! And not having to ride, being able to give our weary bodies a rest, is the best!
After breakfast, Tom loaded our bikes into his one owner 1969 Ford truck (it had belonged to his father before he passed away). Amanda and I sat in the cab with Tom, and Shane and Charlotte sat in the truck bed. We dropped off some film to be developed at a one-hour place, and then dropped the bicycles off to be checked over.
Tom took us across the bridge over the Columbia River, into Oregon, where we were treated to a panoramic view of the twin cities of Longview and Kelso, with Mt. St. Helens in the background, about 30 miles away, as the crow flies.
After we returned from across the river, we returned to the Gillihans. The bike shop called to tell Amanda that she needed a new back wheel. One of those "good news, bad news" things.
After about 45 min., we went to pick up the bikes. Charlotte had some minor adjustments ($27) and so did I ($12) and Mandy ($75). A bit steep; we had thought some of it was going to be comped. Oh well.
We returned to the Gillihans', and then rode our bikes about .5 mi. to Robert Gray Baptist Church. Folks were already eating the wonderful spaghetti, salad, bread, and cakes! Meanwhile, cars were being washed (cost by donation). Amanda, Charlotte, and I made "rounds" to many tables, visiting with guests, especially the families touched by HD. A number of Phd's and their caregivers were in attendance (Linda Kastberg w/husband Russ, Mary Ann w/husband Steve, Candace Ash w/husband, Shane Williams (of course), and some at-risk, plus many from the church, and fellow employee friends of Tom and Glenda. The atmosphere was awesome, with many sharing their stories with each other. Seemed like about three waves of folks came through, although no one counted exactly how many were in attendance. My guess was 150-175. With the door prizes, car wash, and dinner ticket purchase, $1600 was raised! Local merchants donated all the food! Tom, Glenda, and Russ did an awesome job, delegating and creating "people sized jobs." Everything went smoothly, no one seemed overworked, and spirits soared!
I was very impressed with the caregivers who help Russ care for Linda; they are very special gals indeed (Russ is very special, too).
After the dinner, Glenda's parents Cliff and Neal led us back to Tom & Glenda's. All 3 of us depleted our gear some more, anticipating having no SAG some days on the Oregon Coast.
After cake and ice cream (Rita, I didn't have any ice cream!), Cliff & Neal left to drive back to Vancouver WA. The rest of us enjoyed the hot tub (Annette wore her "uniform" denim dress, and I wore shorts/t-shirt.) We laughed and laughed as our weary bodies were treated to water massage.
Bedtime was a bit after 11:00 pm but we didn't have to rise real early for church, since the worship service will be at 8:15 pm. Hugs for Tom, who would be at work by the time we got up in the morning.
Love from the HD Road Warriors,
Marie
Amanda
Annette
Shane
Go To Top
Day 7 - Border War on HD - Longview WA - Portland OR
"Time to say good-bye"
Sunday morning. After breakfast and fond farewell hugs, Annette and Shane "passed the baton" (the magnetic door signs) and headed home to Pullman WA. It was very hard to let them go, as we had been together for 5 days, through most of Washington State.
Glenda, Amanda, Charlotte and I attended the early church service at First Baptist Church. Good solid Bible preaching and great singing! Great way to start the day, the day the Lord has made.
Tannis, Nadeen, and Shirley arrived from Portland. Nadeen will drive SAG for the next two days, and Tannis and Shirley will bike with us.
Over the Lewis & Clark Bridge over the Columbia River. It's a very tall bridge, above the water, under which the ships pass. Different shaped bridge than I'd seen before. Thought it would be hard to get across but it worked out fine. Not much traffic, because of the Memorial Day weekend, so no huge logging trucks sped by. Good-bye to Washington State, the land of espresso (stands on about every corner), evergreens, and ecology.
We followed Highway 30 parallel to the Columbia River all the way to Portland. It's easier when we have a straight shot like that; less chance to get lost or confused!
First town in Oregon was Ranier. From Ranier, we could see the paper mill where Tom Gillihan works.
Passed the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant; bet Oregon's glad they have it!
We cruised right through Deer Island and Columbia City to St. Helens, where Nadeen had laid out a wonderful lunch spread. That was almost the halfway point.
On through Scappoose, with its tall welcoming totem pole.
All along the way, we passed bicyclists going north, including a young couple from St. Louis, and a couple on a tandem.
At Burlington (almost 40 miles into the ride) Shirley got a flat rear tire. She and Tannis are such fast riders and such expert repairers that by the time I got there, they were putting the finishing touches on putting the tire back on the bike frame!
Ten more miles along the Columbia. Arrived at the Portland Brewery Company. Enjoyed a leisurely end of today's ride lemonade.
We SAGged the bikes 'cross-town to the home of Tannis Mittlebach and Nadeen Stalder. They live in Fairview Village, in a "row house." It's a unique concept, where it's designed to be self-contained. Grocery store, post office, coffee shop, all easily accessible by walking.
Nadeen and Tannis fixed us yummy steaks, salads, muffins, chips, and pie. The hostesses with the mostest! Tannis is quite a bike mechanic. Her bike stand beckoned to us. All five bikes needed their chains and gears cleaned, so we did each one patiently and thoroughly.
I got to sleep on a queen sized air mattress on the floor of Tannis home office; shades of our apartment in Colorado Springs!
379 total miles in 6 days riding
Road Change - 15 cents; rather slim-pickin's.
Stay tuned for the next adventure of "As the Road Turns." (Phrase coined by our dear friend Annette)
With love from the road warriors,
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
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